Hello everyone
I did some searches on private chef topics but all the posts were pretty old so I wanted to start a new one and ask for help in my specific situation.
Just as a quick background of my experience: I went to the Cordon Bleu Program in Florida from 2005-2006 and since then have worked and staged at some pretty well know places including stages at Noma and elBulli, and have worked in NYC at Per Se, Momofuku and for Daniel Boulud's restaurant group among others.
I got burned out of the chef lifestyle and lack of benefits and bad schedules and landed a more corporate job last December as a lead line cook with Restaurant Associates for an executive private dining facility at a big finance firm. Things are good, and I am enjoying some of the perks like weekends and holidays off, better pay and benefits.
Still I have always had a big desire to go off on my own and work as a private chef for a family somewhere here in the city. I am sure there are hundreds of potential employers here in NYC, yet I am at a blank with how to even get in. I had a friend that did it for a lady on the Upper East Side years ago and he said it is extremely hard to get that first job, but once you are in you're set for life.
I sent applications to about 3 agencies I found through internet searches last November and to my surprise, all of them turned me down nicely saying that I lacked previous private chef experience! And every add I rarely find on craigslist for private chef jobs specifically ask for at least 5 years experience and family references.
So my question is, how the hell can I make the move to private chef if no one even gives me a chance to begin with because I only have a restaurant background??
I haven't found any good job posting websites either. And Craigslists and Culintro rarely have anything.
If anyone can shed some light into how they or people they know managed to make the move from restaurants to private households I would greatly appreciate it, because it is my dream professionally to make this transition sometime in the near future.
Thanks all.
I did some searches on private chef topics but all the posts were pretty old so I wanted to start a new one and ask for help in my specific situation.
Just as a quick background of my experience: I went to the Cordon Bleu Program in Florida from 2005-2006 and since then have worked and staged at some pretty well know places including stages at Noma and elBulli, and have worked in NYC at Per Se, Momofuku and for Daniel Boulud's restaurant group among others.
I got burned out of the chef lifestyle and lack of benefits and bad schedules and landed a more corporate job last December as a lead line cook with Restaurant Associates for an executive private dining facility at a big finance firm. Things are good, and I am enjoying some of the perks like weekends and holidays off, better pay and benefits.
Still I have always had a big desire to go off on my own and work as a private chef for a family somewhere here in the city. I am sure there are hundreds of potential employers here in NYC, yet I am at a blank with how to even get in. I had a friend that did it for a lady on the Upper East Side years ago and he said it is extremely hard to get that first job, but once you are in you're set for life.
I sent applications to about 3 agencies I found through internet searches last November and to my surprise, all of them turned me down nicely saying that I lacked previous private chef experience! And every add I rarely find on craigslist for private chef jobs specifically ask for at least 5 years experience and family references.
So my question is, how the hell can I make the move to private chef if no one even gives me a chance to begin with because I only have a restaurant background??
I haven't found any good job posting websites either. And Craigslists and Culintro rarely have anything.
If anyone can shed some light into how they or people they know managed to make the move from restaurants to private households I would greatly appreciate it, because it is my dream professionally to make this transition sometime in the near future.
Thanks all.